Module 03
Systems (organized and not) of wildlife management are guided by:
Seven tenets (pillars, sisters)
Wildlife is a public trust
Thoughts?
Elimination of game markets
Lacie and Black Bass Act
Game farms?
Trespass fees?
Invasive species?
Thoughts?
Wildlife is allocated by law
Thoughts?
Kill only for legitimate purposes
Thoughts?
Wildlife is an international resources
Thoughts?
Democracy of hunting for all
Just as diversity is critical to the resiliency and strength of our native ecosystems, theNebraska Game and Parks Commission knows diversity is critical to our mission and success. We are committed to fostering a diverse workforce and creating an environment that is welcoming and inclusive for our staff and constituents. Our actions and our programs will reflect this culture of belonging and equity for Nebraska’s communities and visitors.
Science is the backbone to wildlife policy
Bill Proposes Limiting Citizen Input On FWP Decisions
Thoughts?
Neglect of important stakeholders
Overt focus on game species
Reality is much more fluid and “grey” than described
Undefined use of legitimate and proper
Ignores the role that values are incorporated into wildlife management and conservation
Funding mechanisms and the “tyranny of the minority”
Those in power write the history, while those who suffer write the songs
― Frank Harte
the emphasis of saving game species has occurred during the Anthropocene (Holocene) extinction
“no surprise that the conservation biology field would splinter from the wildlife management field and then rapidly rival this discipline in terms of professional society membership, and arguably global impact, diversity, and scientific impact”
terms connoting permanence including “seven sisters,” “pillars”, a “foundation for wildlife conservation,” “bedrock”, “fundamental policies” , and having “endured the test of time”
Every wildlife conservation decision is accompanied with a value based judgment about what objectives should be manifest
Legitimacy as established by what some hunters consider legitimate but provides no rational bases for those choices
Consider the tenet that says wildlife may only be killed for legitimate reasons, this principle is as basic and appropriate as it is void of useful insight about defining a legitimate purpose.
Developing a narrative that is unrestricted by allegiances to hunting and game species
Rewrite to include the movement’s increasingly diverse constituency and complex history
Alternative funding sources
Autopsies on where and why we failed on those species that slipped through the cracks
Being CRITICAL and OBJECTIVE
What is public trust thinking?
Public trust thinking (PTT) is a philosophical orientation toward natural resources that emphasizes public ownership, long-term sustainability, broad public participation, and avoidance of preferential treatment of special interests
~ Hare & Blossey, 2014
The public trust doctrine is an expression of PTT
PTT as a potential solution to persistent and emerging challenges affecting wildlife conservation in the United States
What is a stakeholder?
Anyone that has a stake in the form of 1) recreation, 2) cultural, 3) social, 4) economic, or 5) health or safety
Include those: 1) benefit and cost, 2) legal standing, 3) political influence, 4) power to block, and 5) sufficient moral claims
Requires significant changes to contemporary priorities and practices in public wildlife governance
Challenge: Change will be slow
Clear metrics that beneficiaries can assess trustees’performance, as well as transparent decision-making processes and mechanisms for beneficiaries to challenge decisions that fall short of trust standards
Systematic and timely measurement, evaluation, accountability, and reporting processes through
Recognizing and informing beneficiaries of the inherent risks of decision alternatives, including the risks associated with making no change, will allow trust administrators to negotiate paths forward with beneficiaries informed of potential positive and negative consequences of different courses of action.
Many different systems exist across the world and vary based on 1) ownership of wildlife, 2) how conservation is funded, 3) who manages the populations, and 4) access on private lands
Can you contrast the system in UK, Norway, Namibia, Guatemela, or Thailand with the NAM?
Governance is the combinations of all the mechanisms and instruments used to steer society
Authority on who uses goverance can vary from a strong top down approach to a collaborative approach.
Collaborative governance involves state and federal agencies, IGOs, NGOs, universities, industry, and the public
Wildlife is managed within the context of the governance structure
Almost every state there is an appointed volunteer commission or board that either oversees or advises the wildlife agency
Only four states (MN, NY, CT, RI) do not have wildlife commissions
Oversight commissions (38 states), duties vary by state but include setting policy and budget for the agency, rule-making, and hiring (and firing) the agency’s director
Advisory commissions (8 states; AL, DE, IL, ME, MD, ND, SD, WV)
Commissions range in size from four to 19 seats, with most being in the 7-11 range
Members are usually appointed by the governor, often requiring confirmation by the state senate
What are farm bill biologists?
Farm Bill biologists assist land managers in designing, developing, and funding (federal, state, and local programs) habitat improvement projects on private property
instrumental- individual decisions are made to balance the illegal gains of non-compliance with the perceived risk of getting caught and punished
normative – individuals sense of moral duty that arises from moral obligations, social norms
Regulations are only effective with enforcement
need to have the ability to identify or detect non-compliance
should follow procedural justice
”heavy-handed” enforcement to voluntary compliance
transparency of decision-making process
public engagement
public trust